Answers
PUZZLE 1. ANSWER: Tycho Brahe ::HOW THE ANSWER WAS DEDUCED: :: :: PUZZLE 2. ANSWER: 97633 :::HOW THE ANSWER WAS DEDUCED: : Stage 1: :: The Second answer was found through anagrams: :: >A number as grand rightfully answers my typical haikus, even though I talk like Erasmus. Can one naturally trained Artist-Intellectual nay, secret wordsmith open, research, document & acquire, nary doubtfulness lets either testify through exhibited reward? :::::: "A-n-a-g-r-a-m-t-h-e-t-I-t-l-E-.-C-o-n-t-a-i-n-s-w-o-r-d-a-n-d-l-e-t-t-e-r-?-" :: Tittle was RIDDLE THEFT THREW ROOT :: Taking WORD and LETTER out left ID THEF H ROT Which we turned into "third of the" : Stage 2: :: >Third letter of the word :: Here is the set of third letters with the punctuation and the asterisks present. :::::: "bnrzevkaqvklnrm,tna * fdvj * yvpj * lk * kflm * uve.eaplyjrkvet * betxknzevxft * kfvk * jmbvqvkjp * lr * pluulbaqkt * gvm * amjp * kn * arqnbs * kflm * ulemk * xaiiqj.srngqjpzj * nu * kfj * jqjyjrkm * glqq * zalpj * tna * nr * tnae * gvt.rlrj * mjdjr * mlo * kfejj * kfejj." : Stage 3: :: Which we eventually deciphered to be: :::::: "Congratulations, you have made it this far. Rudimentary cryptography that escalated in difficulty was used to unlock this first puzzle knowledge of the elementswill guide you to your way nine seven six three three." :: Hence 97633 PUZZLE 3. ANSWER: 1776 :::HOW THE ANSWER WAS DEDUCED: :: Initially, the puzzle was seemingly solved through guesswork and an incorrect assumption. However, after further research it was discovered by 4chan's 'X-X' that the cipher in the source code was in fact a WW2 German enigma code. This code was eventually deciphered by 'Urban' on 4chan's /x/: :::::: First we had to decipher the first 3 letters of the code using the inputs given in the cipher/map, then replace the given Grundstellung letters with the freshly deciphered letters, this gave us the answer. :::::: :::::: Original settings: ' :::::: ''Umkehrwalze: setting C Walzenlage: VI, IV, II Ringstellung: H, O, L Grundstellung: F, X, B Connections: BL DZ EM GC OX PF SR UN WJ YI :::::: '''Original Code: '''LMFV ROHX LPXE RSZL ZELX CIAC AHOA KJZQ AJHI NRZS GZRF LSKB ZSVQ NXTI ADHK CDYV VBAN JXZJ QIWW ZZHR CCJO HTKT SSBV RTDW XQEC DZGI DJQG ANXM JQIS SJMN XS '''Deciphered Code: ALL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS X THIS CONTEST IS WELL UNDERWAY THOUGH WE HAVE AN IMPOSTER IN OUR MIDST X BE CLEVER X PAY ATTENTION X SEVENTEEN SEVENTY SIX PUZZLE 4. ANSWER: http://www.hiddenplane.net/philadelphia :::HOW THE ANSWER WAS DEDUCED: :: Most recent clue: user CaptainobVus cracked the mp3 file and uploaded results to https://soundcloud.com/christian-leyden/raw-cracked At some point after this the mp3 was replaced with this file http://www.hiddenplane.net/uncharted.mp3 leading to the guess that the document (declaration of independence signed in 1776) was signed in Philadelphia http://www.hiddenplane.net/philadelphia was the answer PUZZLE 5. ANSWER: CLUES: The following clues were found using the element inspector: # The first image (http://www.hiddenplane.net/images/philly1.jpg) has been flipped horizontally - The statue is of John Barry # The Second image (http://www.hiddenplane.net/images/philly2.jpg) # To the west we rode, to the promise of a new day with freedom and pride in our hearts. Alas the old ways are too attractive for power and money corrupts the un-corruptable. HOW THE ANSWER WAS DEDUCED: Part 1 Part 2 The compass directions below, when compared to positions on a clock face give the transposition key. North North East = 1 East = 3 South South East = 5 East North East = 2 East South East = 4 Ciphertext at the bottom of the page woytrkrsXeeeeeuuetrrooyoownsiscnioeyastrtascletheouaoXostoesgoiltmleessstorynetrnuensa ouriestayhrumechdohssdriniiesrtwnuaoonrnwmpcsuiielryasyonmnlpehmeodinthivifyufdeleetal rnknguoloeluoctshilHhrwtdlslayoyomotayuisenruXcbhlataedghrgssnstipnnctewnhuohlefeynurv snrnhesunoktiatgdaXmuarleheawohilheawllwawwekarirtwhedbfnthhbehywhegrrtnruyeoadcboeets seatraXeaomdmksitohbsnctyegoaeterrvrvoorXauyodotmaoluiothrtetXaslasdbftrpfdngrpfolrisl ahaikiaiynnylautaioveecborglroetTaoevctnwceeeetatlhtotoardhneauedsenotnsoadpteyurauuht lrietiegleslejsenikiaylealisnentdeopiiecleXtooaoaachedXgndoetoludoaouyateXpthlntanueie eemakoetda Translates to "when you are young the world makes perfect sense. your entire universe revolves around your parents. they are your sun your moon and you lookup to them with an almost religious dedication. in time though reality reveals itself. they are just as flawed as ones childlike belief that they are all powerful and all knowing. as grownups we often look to leaders religious or political with the same childlike belief. hasnt history shown that nobody really has any clue what they are doing. your government does not care about you your religious leaders do not care about you. they care about themselves. accept that and the world changes. these are dangerous times and in times like these its important to kno who can be trusted and who cannot" Crytpocrack with the key 31524 was used with the incomplete columnar cipher to decode. The spelling mistake (kno instead of know) is per the decode.